Holden business owner is Avid fan of solar

Russ Aney brought his solar power wisdom to Holden this summer when he opened his business, Avid Solar, which is beginning to gain momentum in the area with both commercial and residential customers.

Aney has a background in construction, and he first became fascinated by solar energy five years ago. His partner, Chip Mellor, is a master electrician; both were raised in Holden.

“I have always been interested in innovative and energy efficient building designs,” Aney said. “I first became interested in solar power just before the recession. During the recession our focus has been helping customers to save money through energy efficiency and cost effective clean energy as the cost of solar hot water and solar electric systems have become more affordable.”

Before Aney got into solar installation, he worked as a consultant for businesses trying to find ways to reduce their energy expense, including trying to determine if generating their own energy made economic sense.

“I have never seen such an attractive an opportunity for solar electric as there is in Massachusetts right now,” Aney said of solar incentives in the state. “I urge people to strike when the iron is hot. Even though the solar field is new and confusing for some, the value to customers is good and only getting better. And while the price of gas and other heating fuels are volatile and trending up, the cost of solar power is trending downward.”

On average, installing a solar array such as the ones Avid Solar offers will offset about 90% of a customer’s electric bill.

Although the cost of installing a solar array at your home or business is fairly expensive up front (around $20,000 for the average size home), Aney said the benefits far outweigh the cost and roughly half of the initial cost is recovered through incentives in the first year.

Avid Solar most often recommends solar photo voltaic (PV) systems, which offer “the best return on investment at the moment.”

“For commercial customers, the value of incentives fully recovers the cost of installing solar electric before even considering the electricity savings from the energy generated,” said Aney. “It’s like getting your electricity for free. And for residential customers, it is nearly as good.”

Aney’s first solar project was installing solar hot water and then a solar PV system at The Flying Goose Brew Pub in New London, N.H., New Hampshire’s first solar-powered brewery.

“I consulted with the owner to help him indentify good investment opportunities in energy efficiency and renewable energy,” he said. Aney offered the owner some recommendations for solar companies in the area, but in the end the owner decided he wanted Aney himself to install the system. Hence, his solar installation business was born.

But alternative energy incentives can also be found much closer to home. Aney said Massachusetts is the “best solar electric market in the Northeast” because of its solar renewable energy certificate (SREC) program. Basically, the program allows people to gain a substantial return on their investment much faster due to incentives from the state matched with lower costs for the solar modules.

“It is because of SREC program that solar is growing so rapidly and keeping workers and electricians employed that would otherwise have trouble finding work in this economy,” Aney said. “I am hiring people for work, and our customers, in turn, are helping Massachusetts become more energy independent.”

Aney said that the solar modules themselves are oftentimes manufactured in China, but that the majority of the rest of the materials used are manufactured in the U.S. For a 5% premium, Aney can source modules made in the U.S., and all of the labor he uses is local.

“Keep in mind that most electricity dollars flow out of state when you purchase your energy from the grid,” he said. “It is a nice to invest in your local economy versus sending our energy dollars out of state.”

For more information call Avid Solar at 888-517-3767 or visit avidsolar.com.